


Love of My Life

by kyohogrape



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Androids, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Evil Kate Argent, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mentioned Kate Argent, Past Kate Argent/Derek Hale, References to Depression, Robot/Human Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-08 19:58:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17987630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyohogrape/pseuds/kyohogrape
Summary: Compandroid, a fully customizable companion for you. Choose from hundreds of physical features, or build your own using our template tool. Enjoy features such as a state-of-the-art social module for easy integration, bluetooth and wifi compatibility, multi-language functions, and more.Designing a companion android was a challenge. It was an investment, a lifelong commitment. Derek didn’t take these sorts of things lightly.-tags will be updated at the story progresses





	1. Delivery

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a long time since I've written fanfiction, so please bear with me. I hope you like it. I appreciate all kudos and comments

This is not the android he’s looking for. Dumb Star Wars reference aside, Derek stares at the android in confusion. It’s a guy. Kind of a cute guy, but Derek had ordered a female android. Specifically...he’d customized his order to look like Paige. His high school girlfriend that had died too young, too brutally.

Getting an android was Laura’s idea. She had one herself and spent every opportunity boasting to Derek about how great it was, how much it helped around her apartment, and how it was pretty much her new best friend. In quieter moments, Laura insisted that getting an android would be good for Derek. It would make sure he stopped skipping meals, clean him up, air out the place every once in a while so it wasn’t so depressing when his family came to check on him. Customizing the droid to look like Paige had been his idea.

 

Killing Paige had broken something very fragile in Derek. No matter what his parents told him, no matter how many therapists he saw, he had never quite recovered.

He could still hear the crunch of her bones when he broke her spine.

 

When he met Kate, she had said all the right things. “It wasn’t your fault. You were too young, Derek. You weren’t strong enough”. He believed her. Kate made Derek feel better. She made him feel like he could pour all of his guilt, all of his burden into her, so long as he did what she asked. At the time, it felt like love. It took even more therapy for Derek to understand that she was using him. Someone who actually loved him wouldn’t tell him to steal his sister’s Camaro to meet up with her after curfew. It was just luck that put the police officer on patrol that night, the one who tapped on the steamy windows with his flashlight, and noticed that Kate as far too old for the underage high school basketball star.

 

After that night, the only time he ever saw Kate again was when he testified against her.

The damage was done, however. That fragile thing in Derek turned to dust. Kate was using him. She would’ve killed Derek’s family, with his help, if they hadn’t been caught.

 

After that, it was safer to be alone. Derek finished high school, but put off college. He moved out of his parent’s house and into a loft downtown. Eventually, he stopped going out altogether. Days passed by slowly and yet, before he even realized it, five years had gone. When Derek realized that he’d missed his baby sister’s high school graduation, he knew he needed help. So buying a compandroid to put him back together wouldn't fix everything, but it was a start.

 

-

 

Compandroid, a fully customizable companion for you. Choose from hundreds of physical features, or build your own using our template tool. Enjoy features such as a state-of-the-art social module for easy integration, bluetooth and wifi compatibility, multi-language functions, and more.

 

Designing a companion android was a challenge. It was an investment, a lifelong commitment. Derek didn’t take these sorts of things lightly.

It was probably a horrible idea. Probably the worst idea he’s ever had…At least in the top five, and he’s had some really shitty ideas.. But he can’t stop himself from going through boxes of old high school crap he’s stored away after it happened. He finally finds the picture, a bit crumpled, between the pages of his sophomore year book. Derek stares at it as he customizes the blank compandroid template. There are laws against making a replica of a living person, but that’s the thing. Paige has been dead for years.

 

Derek takes a second to think about his decision, really think, before hitting the purchase button. Paige died and it was his fault, nothing will change that. She died in pain at his hands because he was too stupid and too naive. He can’t bring her back. An android wouldn’t come close to the real thing; it wouldn’t have her personality or any of her memories. But as he stares at the face on the screen, as close as he could get the physical features on an adult unit, it’s like he can almost hear her telling him, “Fix it, Derek. You did this, now fix it”.

 

Your package will arrive in two business days.

 

-

 

“We understand your frustration, sir. We are doing everything we can to find a solution.”

  
  
Derek can’t believe what he’s hearing. “I don’t understand how this happened. Where the hell did my android get sent to?”

  
  
“It seems your purchase is still in the mail, therefore the compandroid hasn’t been remotely activated. Once the package arrives and the compandroid is activated, we can track its IP address and locate it.”

  
  
As soon as he had opened the box, The compandroid he was sent sits its box, just staring at him. Waiting for instructions.

  
“What do I do with this one until then?”

  
  
The customer service rep on the other end takes a second to answer, like she’s looking up an answer to give him. This kind of mix-up probably doesn’t happen often.

 

“Unfortunately, sir, because you opened the box, the android is now considered used. If you had left the box unopened, you could have returned it to us at your own expense.”

 

They tell him that he has the option to keep this model and return the one he ordered once it arrives, or he could wait until the Paige unit arrived and then recycle the used model. The representative apologizes for the inconvenience, but reminds him, there's nothing he can do about it right now. Especially now that the droid he was sent has been remotely activated once he opened the box, the LED band around its neck signalling power on. They could not deactivate it until the trial period, approximately two weeks, ended and then power it down for him. It sucks, but it's here now so he decides to just let the droid….stay. Until Paige arrives.   
 

Derek squats down and faces the compandroid, letting it scan his face, letting it scan his face as its owner. Once that’s done, the droid kicks into life and it smiles. “Hello! I’m your Compandroid! Please register my name.”

  
  
Shit, a name. He can’t think of anything. “Uhh....I don’t know..”

  
  
“My name is uhh...I don’t know.”

  
  
“No! That’s not what I meant,” Derek rolls his eyes, “Can’t you just name yourself?”

  
  
The android’s smile falters and it blinks at him, like it doesn’t know what to say. For a second, Derek worries that he somehow broke the thing already.  
  
“Stiles. My name is Stiles.”

 

It’s not really a name, but Stiles isn’t really a person, and he won’t be staying long. Derek watches Stiles climb out of the box to begin rolling his shoulders, bending his knees, and fingers. The android is testing its components for any damage sustained in transit, but Derek just think it looks like Stiles is stretching after a long nap.

 

“Hello, my name is Stiles. I am your Compandroid.”


	2. Curry for Companionship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Progress

The first thing Stiles does is take a slow tour through Derek’s loft. The blue band of light around his neck indicates that he is processing everything he sees, becoming acclimated to the mess of his new home. Derek follows behind, quiet and embarrassed as the stranger picks his life apart.

 

When the reach the master bedroom, Derek puts his hand across the frame. “This room is off limits. Do you understand?”

 

Stiles’s face is blank for a moment, the band goes yellow, and then back to blue. “I understand!” he chirps, “I will begin cleaning the rest of the apartment. You can relax, sir.”

 

Derek doesn’t even get a chance to protest being called “sir”, because Stiles is gone. The android turned on its heal and headed straight for the kitchen to begin shoveling take out cartons and styrofoam boxes into the garbage. Honestly, he might as well throw out the dirty dishes too; Derek doubts the remnants of food that old would ever come off.

 

Feeling a bit useless, Derek shuts himself in his bedroom and does what he always does whenever he’s in a crisis: he calls Laura.

-

The first thing she says when she picks up the phone is, “Is it there yet? Did you open it? Is it amazing?”

 

“Uhhh…” Derek fiddles with the hole in his sock that lets his toes poke out, “It’s here, but it’s wrong. They sent me the wrong one.” He relays everything the customer representative told him to Laura, and its endearing how frustrated she gets on his behalf.

 

“Well, what do you wanna do? I’ll pay for him to get sent back.”

  
  
Derek considers it, but he can’t say yes. Laura’s already sent him so much money.  
“No, they said he’s technically used now so no returns. Thanks, though. I’ll just...figure it out. They said Paige is in the mail so she should be here soon and then I can send Stiles to the recycle center.”

  
  
“Wait what? Paige?”

 

Shit. “Oh sorry Laura, Stiles is calling me. I gotta go, bye,” Derek hangs up the phone on her and immediately knows he fucked up. Laura’s probably already on the phone with their mom, telling her that something’s wrong and that Derek’s still not over Paige and they’re going to send him to more therapy and ask him to move home and -

 

There’s a knock at the door.

 

He gets up slowly and opens the door a crack, making sure to keep his body in the way so Stiles can’t look in.

 

If the compandroid heard his phone call, Stiles doesn’t show any indication of it. He just smiles, hands folded in front of him and says, “Hello, sir. It is 4:23 P.M. I have finished cleaning the kitchen. Would you like me to begin preparing dinner?”

  
Dinner. Right, shit. “I don’t really have any...food…”

 

If Stiles cleaned, he should’ve seen Derek’s empty refrigerator and cabinets. There might be an old brownie mix somewhere, but that’s hardly a meal.

Stilesn’t isn’t fazed though, because he keeps smiling and the band around his neck stays blue. Happy. Calm.

 

“I have put together a grocery list for the upcoming week. I have crafted your diet based on the nutritional needs of a man your age and size. If you like, I can send the list for your approval.”

 

“No, that’s okay. My card is...somewhere. Living room, I think. Do you need me to go to the store with you?”

  
  
The droid shakes his head, “That won’t be necessary. I won’t take long.” He walks Derek through the process of syncing his phone to Stiles, so he can call the compandroid whenever he needs.

 

“If there’s anything you need while I’m out, please let me know!”

 

When the door closes, Derek walks into the kitchen to see what Stiles did in the hour since being activated. The bags of trash which littered the floor are gone, and so is the giant pile of rotting dishes in the sink.

 

There’s not even a single fruit fly left. He walks through, hands rediscovering the countertops and shiny appliances he’d forgotten he owned. Like a pressure cooker. When did he get that? 

 

Derek stands around, admiring Stiles’s work, for a little bit longer before he feels awkward and runs back to the safety of his bedroom. He knows it’s ridiculous, but he can’t help but feel he’s intruding; like his presence alone will bring back the mess.

 

He hides, binge-watching Property Brothers on his laptop, even when he hears Stiles come back and start cooking. Eventually, the smell of something delicious creeps under the door, luring Derek out.  

He finds Stiles setting a plate at the dinner table Derek hasn’t touched in months, and notices that there’s only one place set. Stiles folds his hands neatly in front of himself and smiles, “Dinner is served.”

  
  
“Where’s your plate?”

 

Stiles’s LED band turns yellow for a second; he’s confused. “I don’t eat.”

 

“Oh…sorry.”

  
  
Stiles pulls out a chair for Derek to sit down and begin eating, and then android just stands there. It makes him feel incredibly uncomfortable, just being watched, while Stiles goes without, even if the robot doesn’t need to eat and so is perfectly content to wait until Derek finishes and gives him a command.

 

It’s unnerving and Derek tries to lift his fork to his mouth three times, but he’s hyper fixated on the sound of his own breathing and the clink of his fork against the glass plate when he puts it down each time. In the end, he thanks Stiles and excuses himself, with his plate, back into his bedroom, and promises to take care of the dish afterwards.

 

Left to his own devices, Stiles methodically works through the rest of the loft and Derek tries not to feel guilty about it. He eats his dinner which is a really delicious piece of salmon and some kind of wild rice, and now he feels bad that Stiles worked so hard to cook it for him and he didn’t even say thank you.

 -

 

Stiles’s face is neutral as he completely transforms Derek’s living space. He doesn’t flinch even as he touches food covered in soft, pillowy mold, or clothes that have gone musty from old sweat. He doesn’t feel anything.

 

He organizes the tasks he has yet to complete into a neat list which sits in the top left corner of his HUD. Stiles cleans until the work is finished, so he’s not done until well into the morning.

 

He heard Derek exit the master bedroom to use the restroom two times, but other than that, Stiles has no more interaction with his new owner for the rest of the night.

 

The compandroid finishes transforming the apartment at 2:34 in the morning. Derek hasn’t given him any instrustructions, so Stiles finds his charging dock which came included in his packaging, and decides to enter sleep mode.

 

As he walks back to the living room, he notices lights under Derek’s bedroom door. He can hear the sounds of a television show. There’s a dinner plate sitting outside the door.

 

-

Stiles has been living with him for nearly week and they’ve settled into somewhat of a routine. Derek wakes up everyday sometime past noon, Stiles will have food ready, and more often than not, Derek will retreat back into his safe space to eat. He rarely comes out, and when he does, Stiles makes sure he’s there, eager and ready for a new command. _Anything_ to do. It doesn’t come.

 

While he waits, Stiles begins reading the many books on his owner’s bookcase. Based on what he finds, it seems Derek is interested in architecture, Stiles clings to that information like a lifeline. His social protocol tells him that mutual interests leads to companionship, and companionship makes humans happy. He will make Derek happy.

 

When he exhausts Derek’s collection, Stiles searches online and reads whatever he can until he has a robust data-bank on the planning, designing, and constructing of buildings and other structures.

 

The day Stiles decides to initiate is five days after his activation. He prepares curry for Derek’s dinner, and holds the steaming plate in one hand and knocks on the bedroom door with the other. There is some shuffling and the creak of an old bed as the weight on it shifts, before the door opens just enough for Derek’s face to appear.

 

“Thanks,” the human grunts, reaching for the bowl.

 

Stiles sees his opportunity and takes it. “You are welcome, Derek. I have prepared a Japanese curry for you today. Speaking of Japan, I find pagodas to be very beautiful.”

 

It’s awkward and not what you’d call a smooth transition, but this is the first time Stiles has attempted to socialize with a person.

 

Derek’s brows shift angles and Stiles recognizes the look as one of confusion.

 

“Uh… Yeah. I do too.”

 

Stiles presses forward, “Yes, I noticed that you own a book titled _The Art of Japanese Architecture_ by David Young and Michiko Young. The pages on the architecture of pagodas showed significantly more wear than the rest of the book.”

 

Derek doesn’t know what to say about that, so Stiles surges on. “The contents of your library suggests an interest in architecture. We have this in common. Would you like to discuss this subject with me? Perhaps the recent Hudson Yards development in Manhattan, dubbed the “Vessel”, which features 2,500 steps and 80 landings.”

 

The look on Stiles’s face is so…. _human_. Its eager and excited, like he’s dying to tell Derek about this ridiculous new eyesore of a building and he just wants to be patted on the head for figuring something out about the older man.

  
It’s so silly, Derek can’t help but to smile. “Yeah…” he says, like he unsure of his answer, “Yeah, that’d be okay.”

  
  
They sit in the living room and talk, and Derek forgets to feel bad about eating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been really craving curry lately and I'd personally want to be friends with anyone who brought me some. 
> 
> Thank you everyone for your kind comments and kudos. Please keep them coming, they really mean a lot to me.


End file.
